Kerala Bodies of Two Men Recovered from Ithikkara River in Kerala, Local Community Mourns

The bodies of two men who drowned in the Ithikkara River near Kallambalam, Kerala, have been recovered, bringing grief to the local community. The victims, identified as 49-year-old Ramachandran and 48-year-old Dharmarajan, were relatives who were swept away while bathing near the Pallikal Mahavishnu Temple on Sunday.

Ramachandran and Dharmarajan had gone to the river to bathe but were caught in a sudden strong current. Local residents immediately began searching for them, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. The fire department was called in to assist, but they too were unable to locate the men due to nightfall and the river’s swift currents.

The following morning, around 8 a.m., local residents found the bodies of Ramachandran and Dharmarajan caught in a bush approximately 100 meters downstream from where they had been bathing. A scuba team from Trivandrum recovered Dharmarajan's body first, followed by Ramachandran's.

Ramachandran was a well-known artist in the Pallikal Panchayat, famous for his election wall art and major advertisement boards. He is survived by his wife, Urmila, and their two children, Sariga and Nisari. Dharmarajan leaves behind his wife, Saritha, and their two children, Archiraj and Arjun Raj.

The deaths have cast a pall over the village, leaving both families devastated. This incident marks yet another tragedy in the area, with 12 people having lost their lives in the river over the past three years, highlighting the dangerous nature of this stretch of water.